A poster with the photo of Blaze Bernstein was on display at a press conference at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in Lake Forest on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018 to announce that a body discovered in Borrego Park has been identified as missing teen Blaze Bernstein. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The parents of Blaze Bernstein, a pre-med student who was stabbed repeatedly and dumped in a shallow grave in Lake Forest, say his death might be a hate crime.

If the death is prosecuted as a hate crime, it could bring a stricter sentence.

Documents show the suspect, Samuel Lincoln Woodward, used a gay slur to describe their son while talking to Orange County Sheriff’s investigators.

In a 16-page search warrant affidavit obtained by the Orange County Register, Woodward told investigators that on the night he went missing, Jan. 2, Bernstein, 19, kissed Woodward on the lips as the men sat in a parked car outside a Hobby Lobby in Lake Forest.

Woodward, 20, of Newport Beach, told investigators he pushed Bernstein away and wanted to call him a “faggot,” according to the affidavit. Detectives noted that Woodward clenched his jaw and fists when telling them how he felt.

If prosecuted as a hate crime, Bernstein’s slaying could be punishable by life in prison without parole or the death penalty, legal sources said. Conversely, other options include lesser charges such as manslaughter. Woodward is expected to be charged and possibly arraigned on Wednesday.

Deputies arrested Woodward on Friday on suspicion of homicide — three days after Bernstein’s body was found buried near Borrego Park. Bernstein, a University of Pennsylvania sophomore, was home in Lake Forest on winter break. He had been missing for a week.

The Register has learned Bernstein was stabbed more than 20 times, indicating a crime of rage or passion. Bernstein’s blood was found on a sleeping bag in Woodward’s possession.

The affidavit also quoted text conversations between Bernstein and a female friend last summer in which Bernstein wrote that he wanted to have sex with Woodward.

Bernstein also wrote that another friend referred to Woodward as “closeted … and he was telling the truth for once.”

Jeanne and Gideon Bernstein responded late Monday after the Register’s disclosure of the stabbing attack and details about Bernstein’s relationship with Woodward:

“Our son was a beautiful, gentle soul who we loved more than anything. We were proud of everything he did and who he was. He had nothing to hide.

“We are in solidarity with our son and the LGBTQ community,” the Bernsteins added. “There is still much discovery to be done, and if it is determined that this was a hate crime, we will cry not only for our son, but for LGBTQ people everywhere that live in fear or who have been victims.”

Tony Saavedra is an investigative reporter specializing in legal affairs for the Orange County Register. His work has been recognized by the National Headliner Club, the Associated Press Sports Editors, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association and the Orange County Press Club. His stories have led to the closure of a chain of badly-run group homes, the end of a state program that placed criminals in inappropriate public jobs and the creation of a civilian oversight office for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, among other things. Saavedra has covered the Los Angeles riots, the O.J. Simpson case, the downfall of Orange County Sheriff-turned felon Michael S. Carona and the use of unauthorized drugs by Olympian Carl Lewis. Saavedra has worked as a journalist since 1979 and has held positions at several Southern California newspapers before arriving at the Orange County Register in 1990. He graduated from California State University, Fullerton, in 1981 with a bachelor of arts in communication.

Kelly Puente covers courts and criminal justice for the Register. She has worked as a journalist since 2006 covering everything from education to crime and breaking news. Kelly previously worked at the Long Beach Press-Telegram before joining the Register in 2013.

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